Communicating by means of a mobile terminal, for example a mobile telephone, via a mobile communication network (also referred to as PLMN [public land mobile network]), which is operated by a network operator (also referred to as MNO [mobile network operator]), usually requires that the mobile terminal is equipped with a security element for securely storing subscription authorization data (“subscription credentials”), which uniquely identify and authenticate the user of the mobile terminal vis-à-vis the mobile communication network. Such subscription authorization data, for example an IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity) and an authentication key usually are part of a so-called subscription profile, which, in addition to the subscription authorization data, can include for example also program code, by which operator-specific cryptographic algorithms are implemented and which accesses functions supplied by an operating system of the security element.
While in the past the vast majority of security elements in the form of SIM cards could be exchanged easily in a mobile terminal, for some time there have existed more and more security elements that are permanently installed in a mobile terminal. Such a security element permanently installed in a mobile terminal is known to the person skilled in the art, in particular under the term “embedded SIM” or “embedded UICC (eUICC)”.
Although it is known in principle to make available multiple subscription profiles on a security element, the problem here is that the subscription profiles of different mobile network operators frequently only work with different operating system variants of the security element.
Against this background, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved method for operating a security element and a correspondingly configured security element, with which the problems described above can be at least partially solved.